| # Claude Code `/loop` Variant |
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|
| > Template, not a guarantee of product behavior. Commands and flags change; confirm against the [Claude Code docs](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/scheduled-tasks) before relying on this unattended. |
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| A session-scoped recurring loop. Use `/loop` when you are nearby and want Claude to repeat a bounded task each interval inside an open session, with a deterministic check deciding when it is done. |
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| ## When to use |
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| - You are iterating actively and want hands-off repetition for a while. |
| - The work touches your local working tree. |
| - A run that stops when you close the session is acceptable. For runs that must survive a closed app, see [the desktop scheduled task variant](claude-desktop-scheduled-task.md) or [remote routines](../../meta/RUNTIME_SELECTION.md). |
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| ## Shape |
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|
| ```text |
| /loop every 15m |
| |
| Objective: keep `npm test` green on the current branch. |
| |
| Each iteration: |
| 1. Run `npm test`. Treat its exit code as the only signal of done. |
| 2. If it passes, stop and say the loop is complete. |
| 3. If it fails, read the last 80 lines of output and fix only the cause of that failure. |
| 4. Append one line to LOOP_PROGRESS.md describing what you changed and why. |
| 5. Read LOOP_PROGRESS.md at the start of each iteration so you do not repeat a failed fix. |
| |
| Permission boundary: |
| - Edit only application and test files under src/ and tests/. |
| - Do not change CI config, add dependencies, or touch files outside this repo. |
| - Do not weaken or delete tests to make them pass. |
| |
| Stop conditions: |
| - Stop when `npm test` passes. |
| - Stop after 5 iterations. |
| - Stop if the same failure repeats twice with no new evidence. |
| |
| Escalation: |
| - If stopped without success, write a short summary of the blocker to LOOP_PROGRESS.md |
| and open an issue titled "test-repair loop blocked" instead of continuing. |
| ``` |
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|
| ## How it maps to the Loop Contract |
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|
| | Contract part | In this template | |
| | ------------- | ---------------- | |
| | Trigger | `/loop every 15m`, session-scoped | |
| | Verification | `npm test` exit code, judged by the runtime, not the model | |
| | Durable state | `LOOP_PROGRESS.md`, read at the start of each iteration | |
| | Budget | 5 iterations; stop on repeated identical failure | |
| | Permission boundary | Explicit allowed paths and disallowed actions in the prompt | |
| | Escalation | Summary plus an issue when stopped without success | |
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| ## Guardrails |
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| - Run from a [worktree](../../README.md#core-loop-primitives) or branch so the loop cannot corrupt your main checkout. |
| - Keep the budget small until you trust the loop; an unattended loop with no cap is an incident waiting to happen. |
| - The check command must be deterministic. If "done" depends on the model's opinion, the loop has no real gate. |
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